


Stay-at-home General

by danceswithhamsters01



Series: Reddit Prompts [104]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Brooding, F/M, Gen, It's good to have friends looking out for you, Waiting, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25940854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danceswithhamsters01/pseuds/danceswithhamsters01
Summary: Inspired by a prompt on r/dragonagePrompt 3- the curtain of night, waiting, rain fallingWhile the Inquisitor is away, Cullen will... brood over it.
Relationships: Background Cullen Rutherford/Female Trevelyan
Series: Reddit Prompts [104]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1153856
Kudos: 4





	Stay-at-home General

He paced his office. Had it been possible, his boots would’ve worn a path through the stone at his feet. He’d spent his younger years standing guard where pretty much nothing happened for ages on end without issue. Until, one fateful day, when something horrific happened. The Commander squeezed his eyes shut and snarled. _NO! Not here, not now!_ He was determined to make the demons of the past to stay there, even if just for one hour. Opening his eyes, he sighed and tried to focus his energy on one of the many reports that sat on his desk. _Why_ _is_ _waiting so hard now?_

He knew the answer but didn’t want to admit it to himself. He rose from his desk, abandoning the report that had only garnered perhaps a third of his attention at most, and cast his gaze out the window that stood behind his workspace. The curtain of night had fallen over Skyhold and the mountains surrounding it, a shroud of deep blue punctured in places by twinkling stars and a pair of crescent moons casting their light on the keep far below them. The keep was dotted with small orange and yellow lights pouring from uncounted windows, a testament to the fact that even after nightfall, the Inquisition’s people still found things to keep them busy.

 _Is she warm? I hope they found someplace dry to set up camp._ The latest letter from the front had mentioned that the Inquisitor and her team had arrived in Crestwood. Rainy, rainy, Crestwood; possibly the most gloomy place in Ferelden outside of the blighted lands where Lothering had once stood. Rumor had it that three out of the four seasons saw all sorts of rain falling from the sky there. There were rifts in the area to close, one of them supposedly beneath the nearby lake. How they were going to manage that, Cullen couldn’t say. They were also going to meet up with Hawke’s so-called Grey Warden contact in the area. While he felt more at ease with Ava, Kirkwall’s former Champion, out of the keep, he couldn’t say he felt the same about the Inquisitor being out in the field.

He shook his head and sighed in frustration. Lady Trevelyan was no delicate flower, even if she was noble-born; she’d been a knight and had a career in Ostwick’s army before the events of the Conclave had unceremoniously thrown her onto the path of becoming the so-called Herald of Andraste. His memory flicked back to a stolen moment on the battlements: soft lips pressed against his own, the scent of crystal grace flowers teasing his nose, and gentle but strong arms loosely wrapped around his neck. Maker, the thought of her made his heart thud against its cage like it hadn’t in years. _Not since… NO! The past needs to stay in the past._

The door opening ripped him from his reverie. “Commander, something for you.”

He turned and saw one of Leliana’s scouts, a dwarven woman with jet black hair, holding a platter and a mug. She drew closer and set her cargo on the edge of his desk. “Lady Nightingale says that if you’re going to stay up brooding that you should at least remember to eat something.”

He furrowed his brows. “I do not brood! And I did not forget to--” He blinked and came to the realization that he didn’t recall if he bothered to visit the kitchens or the tavern since sparring that afternoon. He gave a contrite sigh. “Er, thank you. I’ll see to it.”

The scout smirked and gave a half bow before she left. He heaved a sigh and grabbed the platter after sitting down. Slices of bread, meat, and cheese were artfully arranged on it, accompanied by a bunch of grapes. The smell of it made his stomach growl loudly, forcefully reminding him that he’d neglected to grab supper hours ago. He popped a grape into his mouth before investigating the mug. A sip of its contents revealed it to be a mild ale that had a note of honey in it. He began tucking in earnestly, the small bit of food making his stomach demand more. Once sated, leaving nothing but crumbs and stems on the dish, he drained the mug. The dull headache that dogged him all evening finally began letting up.

He shook his head with a rueful chuckle. Apparently, not _all_ of his discomfort was due to the ravages of withdrawal. He picked up the report he abandoned earlier and attempted to work once more. _Eylarra will be back in one piece,_ he told himself. If she could survive half a mountain falling on her and trekking alone in the snow for several days before finding help, then Crestwood had no hope of stopping her. He could wait, he was good at waiting. It would make it all the sweeter when he next found himself wrapped in the arms that held his heart outside of its cage.


End file.
